Once again there has been a fatal accident involving a commercial vehicle (Man dies in accident in Upper Thomson Road; lorry driver arrested for careless driving, July 7).

I often drive along the East Coast Parkway (ECP) early in the morning and also along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) during the day, and I see many lorries and huge container trucks going beyond the speed limit.

On the AYE and the West Coast Highway, I have seen them using the rightmost lane of the expressways, overtaking other vehicles at speeds above 90kmh.

The consequences of an accident involving a speeding car compared with one with a fully laden lorry or container truck are different.

The damage caused by a vehicle with a high mass travelling at a high speed would be greater, with smaller vehicles involved in the crash likely ending up with the worst damage.

On my early morning drives along the ECP, I see lorries full of workers going at top speed, as the drivers probably think there is little chance of getting caught at that time of the day.

Carrying passengers in the back of open lorries is not the safest practice, and these lorries going at 90kmh or more certainly increase the chances of a bad outcome.

For many drivers of these commercial vehicles, the speed limit shown on the back of their vehicles seems to be more of a suggestion than a rule. 

Howard Wan